Maybe role-playing games aren't your thing, maybe you don't like complicated rules, or can't strong arm enough of your friends to sit down to play. Maybe you don't have any friends (it's ok, we've all been there). There was still another way you could go on a globe trotting archeology adventure aside from, you know, actually going outside to play: the Find Your Fate series of books!
Image from the Indiana Jones Wiki
As a pre-teen, the Choose Your Own Adventure books had a big imapct on me. Over the years I'd try out any CYOA style book series that came along. When you add a pop culture icon to that style of storytelling, you've got an instant buy from me!
The Find Your Fate Indiana Jones books were released between 1984-87. There were a total of 11 books that had you making the tough choices in an epic adventure with Indy. That's right, I said with Indy. You don't get to actually don the fedora in this series but are taking the part of a kid tagging along with him.
There are a total of 17 Find Your Fate books, but not all starred Dr. Jones. Numbers 10-15 featured James Bond or Morgan Swift, a hip, high school science teacher that's...also psychic? Yeah, first time I've heard of her too.
The one author that contributed the most to these books is none other than R.L. Stine. Yes, pre-Goosebumps R.L Stine! In 1994, when Goosebumps starting being a Big Thing, his books were reprinted to feature his name and with new covers that looked like they could have been part of that other series. Nothing against Goosebumps but I much prefer the original Indy-centric covers.
The fun didn't stop in the 80s. Between 1992-93, eight official Choose Your Own Adventure books were published for The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles with each book being based on a different episode.
These books have become quite collectible over the years, especially the Young Indy ones. Back when I began the Basement Purge of 2021, these were some of the first books I sold off. If I remember correctly, I sold the Find Your Fate books for around $15 each. It's not laugh all the way to the bank money, but it's not too shabby.
Swing over to TheRaider.Net to see a full list of the Indy books including cover scans and synopses.
I've wanted to own some of these for a long time. They are pricey but very fun. I've only found one G.I. Joe Find Your Fate in the wild.
ReplyDeleteThey also released Thundercats, Transformers, and even Jem!
DeleteWow. I read the Choose Your Own Adventure books, but never knew these existed.
ReplyDelete